Massage Parlor Shootings 1 Year Later: Support, Advocacy Sought, Death Penalty Possible

METRO ATLANTA, GA — A year after eight people were killed at three metro Atlanta spas, activists hope the solemn anniversary will bring change.

On March 16, 2021, Robert Aaron Long, 22, of Woodstock shot and killed eight people at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, and at the Aroma Therapy Spa and the Gold Spa in Atlanta, authorities said.

A Fulton County grand jury indicted Long on May 11, 2021, for the killing of Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63, all of whom were shot at the Gold Spa or Aroma Therapy Spa in Atlanta.

Long also shot and killed Xiaojie "Emily" Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33; and Paul Michels, 54, at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County.

Investigators said Long told them the crimes were not racially motivated, but that he "blames the massage parlors for providing an outlet for his addiction to sex."

Even though Long blamed the massage parlors as the cause of his violence, Atlanta officials said that as far as they knew, the spas were operating legally.

"We're not about to get into victim blaming, victim shaming here," now-former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said during a news conference.

Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace later corroborated that statement.

"Your honor, in discussing this case with Mr. Burns, the defense’s position is that this was not any type of hate crime," Wallace said.

In July 2021, Long pleaded guilty in Cherokee County to the first four deaths. He was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 35 additional years.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed notice she would seek hate crime charges and the death penalty against Long. Long appeared in Fulton County last year on 19 charges, including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and domestic terrorism. His next hearing is scheduled for April.

Asian-American Community Remembers Victims

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta released a statement this week saying while they honor the victims and their families, they also continue to "advocate for policies and solutions that address the root causes of violence and hate so that we may all live in safe communities."

"These highly visible tragedies also call our attention to the everyday experiences that the most vulnerable members of our communities face in the crosshairs of white supremacy, misogyny, and imperialism: the racial and sexual exploitation wrought by the presence of U.S. militarism in Asia and the Pacific; the resulting geopolitical upheavals that force migration; the daily terrors of a system that criminalizes immigrants, massage workers, and sex workers; housing and financial insecurity; and the ongoing abuses and dangerous conditions that migrant, low-wage, service workers face daily," the statement read.

The advocacy groups — including Asian American Advocacy Fund, Korean American Coalition - Metro Atlanta, New Georgia Project, and Raksha Inc. — said that in order to heal, white supremacy and misogyny must be addressed as the root causes of violence and hate.

"To do so requires us to hold uncomfortable dualities," the statement said. "It means acknowledging the pain and fear that motivates some victims and community members to call for carceral solutions such as increased police presence, hate crimes legislation, and other forms of punishment; while at the same time interrogating how these responses criminalize and cause harm in the name of public safety."

Additionally, the statement said the Asian American communities must confront any anti-Blackness.

"We cannot allow the tragedy of the shootings in Atlanta to justify policies that expand law enforcement and its disproportionate impacts on Black communities," the statement read. "Rather, alongside our Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Arab, and Pacific Islander allies, we are inspired to reimagine what justice, healing, love, and hope can look like for our communities."

As more people unite to bring change, the advocacy groups hope to "address the needs of victims of racialized and gender-based violence while also holding our elected leaders accountable for creating policies that center our communities."

"Together, we can struggle in more powerful ways for community safety and healing, for racial and economic justice, for stable housing, for access to quality health care, including mental health and education and a liveable wage, for the right to vote, for the right to organize, and for art and beauty in our neighborhoods," the statement said. "On this anniversary, we remember the lives taken and the families who still struggle without their loved ones, and we recommit to expanding and deepening our community of care for all communities, beginning in Atlanta and spreading throughout the country and the world."

For more on the metro Atlanta massage spa shootings:

• Death Penalty Sought For Metro Atlanta Massage Parlor Shooter
• Metro Atlanta Spa Shooter Pleads Guilty To 4 Murders
• Atlanta Spa Killings Elicit Grief, Resolve from AAPI Legislators
• Metro Atlanta Massage Parlor Shootings: 5 Things To Know
• Atlanta Massage Parlor Shootings 9-1-1 Calls Released